


between two lungs

by ObscureReference



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Asthma, Established Relationship, Late at Night, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 08:50:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureReference/pseuds/ObscureReference
Summary: Owain woke up with a tell-tale tickle in his throat.





	between two lungs

**Author's Note:**

> I had asthma as a child. I have very strong memories of laying in bed at night, coughing and coughing and _coughing_ for what felt like hours. I couldn't sleep at all because I literally just couldn't stop coughing long enough to shut my eyes. I'm sure I kept my parents up too. My asthma attacks were almost always at night. I can still remember the taste of the medicine and the sound my inhaler made when I used it.
> 
> I mention all this because my memories are so strong that I wanted to write Owain/Odin having asthma too. Except in adulthood. So here I am.
> 
> That said, it's been a long time since I've had an asthma attack or used an inhaler, so if you find any inaccuracies with how long the medicine takes to kick in now, how I describe asthma attacks, etc. please just take them as you go. I'm working from my own flawed personal experience.

Owain woke up with a tell-tale tickle in his throat.

He was fighting back the cough even as he opened his eyes. It was a battle he was going to swiftly lose.

The bedroom—unfamiliar enough that Owain didn’t recognize it at first—was still dark. He grimaced, sleep quickly fading from his mind as he cleared his throat. It didn’t help, just as he knew it wouldn’t.

It was their first night sleeping in the new house; moving was a yet unfinished ordeal, but Owain had thought himself in the clear after not experiencing an attack all afternoon. Now he knew he’d been living on false hope. They must have stirred up some dust while unpacking or Owain’s body wasn’t yet used to the allergens in their new home.

Whatever the case, it was an unholy hour of the morning, and Owain had woken himself up with an asthma attack.

His chest was growing increasingly tight. Owain couldn’t even stifle his coughs completely. Even as he sat up, he could feel his lungs protesting against their very existence. 

Thankfully, Leo was angled towards Niles tonight. Owain didn’t have to worry about extracting himself without making a scene.

Heat had gathered in his cheeks from the straining of muffling his coughs. Owain swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up as swiftly as he could without making too much noise. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Leo and Niles, who no doubt felt as tired as Owain did after their long day. He’d already resolved to suffer quietly until he made it out of earshot.

The chill from the floorboards against the bare bottom of his feet banished any lingering cobwebs of sleep from his mind. He stumbled towards the door, struggling to remember where he’d put his inhaler. It had been a while since he'd last needed it, even before the move.

Was it still in a box downstairs? Owain couldn't recall. Vaguely, he remembered Leo saying something about putting medicine in the hallway bathroom so it could be accessible to even guests without anyone going through their bedroom. He seriously hoped his inhaler was in there too, because that was where Owain's legs were automatically guiding him. He doubly hoped Leo hadn't meant the bathroom downstairs.

Despite the dark and the unfamiliar walls, he somehow found his way to the bathroom. By that point, Owain couldn't stifle his coughs any longer. The walls practically shook from the force of them. His chest ached. He flipped the bathroom light on.

Owain squinted through the tears that had begun to gather in the corner of his eyes, adjusting to the sudden light. He heard himself breath in—heard himself _wheeze_ —and winced. He entered the bathroom without shutting the door behind him.

It had been a while since Owain had experienced an asthma attack so severe. He’d initially chalked the intensity up to the fact this attack had woken him up from the dead of sleep, catching him off guard. But now as Owain searched the cabinet behind the mirror, he realized his mistake. If he didn’t find his inhaler soon, he’d be in a bit of trouble.

Telling himself not to panic just yet, he dug through the mostly empty cabinet, coughing all the while. Only a few half-empty boxes of cold medicine that had migrated from the old apartment greeted him. No inhaler. By the time he closed the mirror again, he was gripping the edge of the sink to remain upright.

His chest and throat ached more and more with every cough. Owain hunched over the sink as the coughs wracked his body, mentally willing himself to power through it. He didn’t have enough breath to spare for a curse. A voice in the back of his mind wondered if he shouldn't have woken up Leo or Niles for help.

“Owain?”

As if answering his mental pleas, Nile's voice drifted from the doorway. He sounded concerned. Niles had found his way to the bathroom without Owain noticing.

A wave of gratitude surged through Owain, though he couldn’t turn his head to look at his husband. He simply gripped the edge of the sink, still coughing, as Niles came up behind him.

“Are you alright?” Niles asked, placing a hand on Owain’s back and rubbing quick circles. Owain was squinting from the force of his coughs, but he could still see Niles’s worried expression out of his periphery anyway. “Did you already use your inhaler?”

Owain shook his head. Niles muttered something that was lost under the sound of Owain’s cacophony of coughs. Then he disappeared.

Instantly, Owain wished Niles had stayed. He didn't know how long he'd been in the bathroom already. His face felt even hotter than it had just a moment before, and lungs fought tooth and nail against every breath. 

It wasn’t a surprise he had woken Niles up. The house was still empty enough that Owain’s coughing echoed through the halls. If he didn't stop soon, it felt like he'd cough his throat raw.

Niles's sudden appearance had helped dissuade the panic slowly building in Owain's chest. But now that Niles was gone, the panic had surged back up, swifter and strong than before. Every breath was a herculean effort.

Then, just as quickly as he’d disappeared, Niles returned. He gently but firmly pried Owain’s fingers away from the sink and placed a familiar object in his palm. Owain lifted his head. In the mirror, his cheeks had turned bright red.

“It’s your emergency one,” Niles said, keeping his gaze level. “Use it.”

Owain did. He quickly shook the container and put the plastic to his mouth. A cool mist hit the back of his throat when he released the medicine. He held his breath for a moment, biting his lower lip to keep from coughing it all up again immediately. If it had been his regular inhaler, he would have taken two puffs. His emergency inhaler only required one.

It wasn’t an instant fix. After a moment, Owain gave in to a fresh round of coughing. He fumbled with setting his rescue inhaler on the rim of the sink and heard it clatter to the floor. Niles picked it up for him.

“Come on,” Niles said gently, his expression troubled, as he set the inhaler aside. “Let’s sit down. Do you need help?”

Owain shook his head.

“N-No,” he choked out.

Niles still watched him carefully as they both lowered themselves onto the floor. Owain felt Niles’s calloused fingers graze his arms.

"Come here," Niles said, settling with his back against the side of the tub. He spread his legs wide enough for Owain to sit between comfortably.

Owain knew what he meant without specifying. Which was good, because talking was ideally off the table for the moment.

Niles made sympathetic noises as Owain shuffled around and settled his back against Niles’s chest. Owain hadn’t worn a shirt to bed, but Niles had. The cool fabric of Niles’s t-shirt felt good against his bare skin. Niles didn’t wrap his arms around Owain, probably too afraid of constricting him even more, but the gentle warmth of his body so close was enough of a comfort for now.

“That’s it,” Niles muttered against his ear. Owain struggled to relax against him. “Can you feel me breathing? Breathe in and out with me if you can. You’ll be alright.”

He’d taken the emergency inhaler, so logically Owain already knew he’d be fine, but somehow he felt better for Niles saying so anyway. He could feel the rise and fall of Niles’s chest against his back and struggled to match it.

Niles soothed away the goosebumps on Owain’s arms with gentle hands. “I’ve got you.”

Minutes passed as they sat on the cold bathroom tile together, Niles holding Owain. It was impossible for Owain to match Niles's breathing at first. He simply couldn't get enough oxygen. Every breath that didn't cause Owain to choke halfway through was a gift.

Footsteps padded down the hall. Owain knew who it had to be before he looked up.

Leo leaned against the doorway, expression still cloudy with sleep. He visibly perked up with worry when he saw Niles and Owain sitting on the floor. When he noticed the inhaler sitting on the sink, obviously already used, Leo’s shoulders dropped the slightest amount. His worried frown didn't change.

“Are you alright?” Leo asked. It must have felt like too obvious a question, because he quickly followed up with, “Can I get you anything?”

Leo must have been thinking about how long it had been since the last time he’d had an attack, Owain thought. The concern showed in every line of his body.

Owain opened his mouth to reply, but his words were swallowed by coughs. Leo’s gaze flickered to Niles.

“Sit with us,” Niles said so Owain didn’t have to.

Leo entered the bathroom, but he didn’t sit down right away. Instead, he opened the cabinet behind the mirror and pulled out a little glass cup from the shelf Owain had noticed before. Leo carefully rinsed it before filling it with water from the tap. Then he joined them on the floor.

“If you need it,” Leo said, setting the glass by Owain’s knee. “I was wondering if this would come in handy. Our new kitchen is so far away now.”

“Smart thinking,” Niles commented.

Owain knew they were trying to be normal, but he could still see how worried Leo looked. Behind him, he imagined Niles wearing the same pained expression. He wanted to remind them that this wasn’t a big deal, that he’d had plenty of asthma attacks before, but he only managed to say “I’m fi—” before the rest of his words were swallowed by coughs.

Leo gently took Owain's hand in his own and rubbed Owain's skin with his thumb. “I know. Focus on breathing for now.”

The best Owain could do was shoot him a look. He couldn’t even turn around all the way to stare at Niles too, which was unfortunate. So he settled for sucking in an choppy breaths of air and tried to relax.

“Deep breaths,” Leo reminded him.

That was easy for Leo to say, considering he wasn't the one who couldn't breathe. But he was only trying to help, so Owain didn’t hold it against him.

He squeezed Leo’s hand once for reassurance and then focused on a point on the floor. Behind him, Niles kept time with his breaths.

Slowly, the medicine worked its magic. Owain found himself gasping a bit less desperately between coughs. Eventually, the coughs themselves slowed.

He didn’t risk speaking as his coughs subsided, too afraid of agitating his airways again before they had a chance to truly calm down. When Niles pressed his lips against the back of Owain’s neck, however, Owain knew he had noticed the change as well.

Only a bit of tightness still lingered in his chest when he decided to open his mouth once more.

“See?” Owain said when he could mostly breathe again. “Nothing to worry about.”

His cheeks still felt warm. Owain refused to think about how flushed his whole face must have become. The redness would fade soon enough.

Niles ran his hands up and down Owain’s arms soothingly. “You still feel like huffing and puffing and blowing the whole house down?”

Owain did huff. Humorously, this time.

"Only if there's another house made of sticks down the road," he croaked. 

Leo handed him the glass of water. Owain sipped it gratefully.

“Why didn’t you wake us?” Leo asked after Owain had drained half the cup. He was ever straight and to the point.

Owain shrugged, shoulders dragging across Niles’s front. He was suddenly very tired. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s a good thing I remembered where we put that,” Niles said, gesturing to the emergency inhaler.

“Where was it?” Owain asked.

“On top of the dresser.”

Their dresser was cluttered with knickknacks and personal items that they hadn't found a home for just yet. It wasn’t a surprise Owain hadn’t noticed his emergency inhaler there during the day. Still, he’d have to be more careful in the future. He still didn't know where his regular inhaler was.

Owain let his head fall back against Niles’s shoulder tiredly. “I’ll remember that for later.”

“Let’s try to avoid any future attacks altogether,” Leo said. “We’ll clean the house in the morning, top to bottom.”

Owain considered protesting, but despite the late hour, Leo sounded too determined to bother arguing with. He couldn’t deny it was a good idea either; dust and pollens were among his worst triggers.

“Alright,” he sighed. “Sounds good. Sorry I woke you both up.”

“I’d rather wake up and help you through an attack than have you wake up in a hospital bed,” Leo said dryly. Owain flashed him a lopsided grin that didn’t seem to brighten his mood. “Though I didn’t do much besides watch this time.”

“I’m happier just having you here,” Owain said truthfully. He felt Niles squeeze his bicep gently and added, “All I needed was my inhaler. Niles already took care of that.”

“And you’ll be keeping that on the bedside table in the future,” Niles cut in smoothly. He kissed the back of Owain’s neck again. “Leo and I can take care of the cleaning. We’ll find something else for you to do tomorrow.”

“I can take care of cleaning my own house,” Owain pointed out. But it was still very early in the morning, and hacking up a whole lung and a half had exhausted him even further. “Do you guys want to get off the floor and go back to bed, or…”

“Are you okay to stand?” Leo asked.

Owain answered that question by climbing to his feet easily. His butt was cold from sitting on the tile for so long. Niles and Leo rose up after him.

Now standing, Owain took in a slow, deliberate breath. His chest didn’t feel tight anymore. Just a bit achy. He wouldn't have minded a little more water either.

Niles touched his wrist. “Should we schedule a doctor’s appointment?”

Owain wrinkled his nose.

“No way,” he said as Leo filled the glass with water again. “I’m fine with what I have.”

Usually, Owain knew when he was going to get caught near some smoke from a barbeque or was going to romp around in the woods. His regular inhaler was useful enough for that. Tonight had been a fluke.

Niles’s voice was deliberately light, but there was no mistaking the careful look in his eye. “You might be better off with something more preventative.”

“I usually don’t _need_ anything preventative,” Owain countered, because he thought it was true. He didn’t get triggered in his day to day life. His attacks were rare now, but the severity of this one had clearly startled Niles and Leo. Tonight, it had startled Owain as well. But that was just the nature of life sometimes. It had all worked out just fine.

Thankfully, either Leo and Niles were just as tired as Owain felt or they simply knew him well enough to know not to push this late at night. Niles’s mouth twisted downwards enough that Owain knew the conversation wasn’t over, but he didn’t say anything more.

“It’s late,” Leo said. Niles and Owain looked at him. “We can talk about it in the morning.”

He began to lead the way back down the dark hallway to the bedroom. Niles turned off the bathroom light behind them.

The tall floor lamp near the bed was on when Owain entered, and the bed covers were messy from where Niles and Leo had abandoned them. It was also a welcome sight. Outside, the street was still dark. The clock on the bedside table said it was nearing four.

Owain was willing to crawl into bed after Niles and Leo, but Niles’s hand on his lower back guided Owain towards the bed first. Leo put the now full cup of water on the bedside table. Niles, who had grabbed Owain’s emergency inhaler when he wasn’t looking, tossed the medicine Leo’s way. Leo added that to the table too.

“This time you don’t get a choice about waking us up,” Niles said. His voice was even and low.

Leo gestured for Owain to get in.

Owain didn’t really want to think about what he would have done if Niles found his emergency inhaler when he had. He told himself that it would have been alright.

Deep down, part of him wasn’t so sure. Owain shoved that doubt back into the recesses of his mind and dragged himself to the middle of the bed. He came to rest on his side, facing Leo and the bedside table. His back was to Niles and the light. Sleeping on his side felt better than laying on his back at the moment.

Leo crawled into bed first. Niles made sure to turn the lamp off, bathing the room in darkness once more, before climbing in behind Owain. Leo had already loosely tangled his and Owain’s fingers together again, but Owain had to reach back and grab Niles’s wrist without looking to get Niles to sling his arm loosely around Owain’s waist.

“I can still breathe,” Owain mumbled into the pillow.

He meant that Niles didn’t have to worry about choking him in his sleep or anything. The low hum Niles made in response made him wonder if perhaps that wasn’t what Niles had heard.

Any possible reservations Niles might have had went out the window as he moved closer, molding himself along Owain’s back. Owain peeked between his eyelashes and saw Leo looking at him. When he noticed, Leo kissed his wrist and shut his own eyes.

After a moment, Owain shut his again too.

There was a good chance he was going to overheat by the time the sun rose; he wasn’t the icebox the way Leo was, and Niles gave off more than enough heat to keep them both warm in the winter. Still, Owain didn’t want to move.

He didn’t think he’d have another asthma attack before morning now that he’d taken his medicine. Even so, he felt better laying between Niles and Leo, knowing they’d be by his side when the sun rose.

**Author's Note:**

> Owain's asthma attacks are infrequent in his adulthood, but the one he had here was pretty moderate to severe. He takes care of it with the emergency inhaler and a lot of trying to stay calm, but that's something that can be pretty scary. If you have a severe asthma attack like this and your normal/emergency medication isn't working or you can feel yourself experiencing worse symptoms before it gets better, please consider calling emergency services—especially if you are alone. Your health and safety is more important than the thought you'll "probably" be fine in the end. Always better safe than sorry.
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment below or hit me up on my [tumblr!](http://someobscurereference.tumblr.com/) I get a lot of FE14 meta and fic related asks there, so feel free to browse through my "asks" or "fe14" tag for some extra stuff from me and your fellow readers that you may not see over here. Or send in a question of your own if you had one! Thanks for reading!


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